Leak detection and flow measurement capabilities are often used to determine and quantify the presence of leaks typically on the micro-meter (nm) scale or less. Such precision is often important to determine whether an article is suitable for certain applications, such as for medical research, and to perform sterile products container closure integrity testing.
Testing for leak integrity is important in various industries because a product's failure may present significant hazards (e.g., to customers, patients, and healthcare professionals). In some applications, leak detection needs to address special industry specific requirements, such as being performed on all products and, thus, must be done without being destructive or corrosive to parts tested.
However, many products—such as many of those used in the medical industry—comprise materials that are flexible and elastic and, thus, may expand as gasses are used to detect leaks.
To perform such precise leak detection and flow measurements, a supply source with sufficiently stable pressure is therefore often needed. With conventional systems, such supply sources often incorporate a precision constant pressure vessel (e.g., an accumulator) that can be used to supply gas (e.g., air, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, or a tracer gas). Conventional systems typically require that the precision constant pressure vessel be ten times or more larger than the volume of the product being tested. This can present challenges for testing larger volume products and, in some cases, be prohibitive due to the increased equipment, space, and cost requirements, especially in a “clean room” environment. Moreover, requiring such large volumes can increase the time required to test large units under test (“UUTs”).
Furthermore, such systems may not be portable and, thus, may not allow for verification that a product meets desired specifications upon delivery to a customer or to an end user at the point-of-use. In other words, the UUTs may not be able to be tested to ensure they were not damages during shipping and/or storage with conventional systems.
Accordingly, systems and methods capable of precision testing of large volume items and/or more portable systems are still needed.